Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, known as Engineer Rashid, was released from Tihar Jail on interim bail to campaign for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Rashid has been incarcerated since 2019 in connection with a terror funding case. Upon his release, he vowed to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Naya Kashmir' narrative, which he claimed had failed. The BJP dismissed Rashid as a 'rank separatist' attempting to disrupt the region's politics. Rashid emphasized his commitment to peaceful political struggle and rejected allegations of being a BJP proxy. His release has sparked criticism from regional parties, who accuse him of colluding with the BJP.